Push button connection for electric switches



CK DJPLAU.

Patf-nfed Sept i12, 19%.

vra-azz @am may meem- .ES/PATENT is sgnjnnirjefnnnx yrana-sr. or'i3ni:nenronm, coivirncrrcu'r.

yBei known'that, CLARENCE D. PLA'i'r,

a citizen of the United States of America, residing 1 at Bridgeport', Connecticut; -have invented ya new 'and vuseful Push-Button K ConnectionA fory Electric Switches, 'ofwhich thefollowing4 isaSpeCiiCatiOn. The-generalobjects of this invention ar to simplify and improve the connection between the switch parts and the push buttons for operating Vthe same, special'objects being to facilitate connection ofthe push buttons. with the switch parts and to reduce 'the cost ofconstruction and assembly. These 0b- ]'ects I. have accomplished by providing one of the membersy to be connected, say the switch lever, with a bearing opening and the other member, s'ay the push button with a hooked portion for engagement in the bearingA opening, this .latter member having a guard for retaining thehooked portion in the bearing opening and the switch member having a'recess in its edgev to permit the assembling of the parts.

'The details of the structure will appear asthespeciication proceeds.

The accompanying. drawing illustrates a practical and preferred embodiment of the invention,: but it .will be understood that changes and modications may be made without departing 'from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

In the drawing, Figure 1, is a sectional view of the operating portionofa push button switch having my invention embodied therein. Fig. 2, is a detachedperspective viewy of lthe switch operating lever and the' push button, illustrating the method of attachment of the button to the lever.

The push buttns'are designated '5 and 6l` and are shown as connected with a switch operating lever 7, 'pivoted atv 8,'011v a supy port 9. In the illustration the switch opwith the bearingvopening and the push buthook to engage inthe bearing opening. `.The bearing openings are designated 10 and are shown formed in the switch lever near the opposite ends thereof.. The push buttons are shown provided with Shanks l1 by means of which they are connected tothe lever. Each shank is slotted. longitudinally .at l1.6, and theV shank -at the outer end of this slot is cut through laterallyl at 15A so to form" rusia; 'nufrroitconimcrin ron rLncrircfswmcHns a clearance slot, as shown inf Fig.v 2; This passage l-leaves the hooked end 12 lwhich constitutes apivot finger and alsole'aves a side guard finger 14 at right angles to' said pivot linger. The sideguard finger engages over the side of the lever 5to prevent the push buttons from beingv moved so as'to disengage Specification ofliiette-rs.Patent,` f3 12. 1 implication filed September 10, 1915. Serial No. 49,960. v

end of the. lever, which part operates asa f l key to project into that part of the 'slotffl alongside the guard finger 14 when the parts are fully assembled. The lever is provided at one point in its edge with a recess or cut away portion 2O extending from said edge inward toward the bearing opening, leaving at one point a thickness of' metal 21 adjoining the bearing opening slightly less than the width of the entrance slot 15 in the shank of the push button.

The assemblage of the parts is very simple and when once assembled accidental disengagement of the parts is prevented. The push button and lever are placed in the relative position at the left in Fig. 2 and the end of the pivot finger is brought into the plane of the bearing opening by passing the the reduced portion 21 of the lever. push button is then turned into the position shown at theright in Fig. 2, whereupon the hook 12 passes into the bearing openingv 10. Thepush button is then swung aroundthe bearing opening as a pivotal point as indilcated by the dotted lines'22 into the final position as indicated'inFigyland wherein v the key portion 17 of the lever stands .in Vthat part of the finger 14.

The push button construction ci this in. y l vention will be seen to be of an extremely simpleA andA practical construction and byf reason of the fact that the parts canbe made 'of relatively small pieces ,of light sheet metal the expense of material and manufacture is reduced to aminimum.,

1. In a `push button switch, a push button and a' lever operated thereby, one ofsaid members h aving afbearing opening therein and a recess in oneedge extending inward toward said bearing opening, the other of 95 Slot 16 alongside the guard j v to the diameter of the bearing openingito j said members'having a longitudinally eX- teiiding slot terminating short of the end of the member a distance substantially equal leave a bearing portion'at said end of Ithe member. for engagement in the bearing opening, said slot being of a length greater than the extent 'of material i about the bearing opening to thereby receive the portion of the Vfirst membery around the bearing opening .'therein, said second member having altrans- A verse slot extending 1n from one side edge Vy nto receive the extent of material between the bearing opening andthe edge Vrecess in the thereof to the longitudinal4 slot, said side- -slot being disposed above the bearing portion at the end of the member and of a size .portion surrounding the bearing opening in the' first member.

" 2. In a push vbutton connection for switches, a lever arm having a transverse Ibearing passage therein'near the opter end thereof, a push button having a projecting shank slotted longitudinally and transversely at one side to 'form a pivot fingerv at the outer end and a guard inger at the sidesaid lever arm having a out away por` tion adjacent to the bearing opening therei in to reduce lthe Width of metal' adjacent' said opening at one point vsuilieiently'to per-` mit thesa'ine'to be passed through the transverse slot in said shank,4 the uncutaway portionlof the end of said lever forming a key arranged to project into the longitudinal l portion of saidslot alongside said guard 'finger When said push button 'is turned into operative positionm u y CLARENCED. PLATT. 

